HKKHKXTED IW 



AMERICAN IKDIAKS AS ORATORS 
An Address 
Delivered at 
WaLshington College, Ghestertown, Md., 
/ by ^ 

Clarence Hodeoh, New York. 
A Member of The Board of Visitoro and Governors 

October 1£, 1921 



These orations of American lEdian Chiefs are 
siDiong the finest gems of oratory ever uttered 
by the tongue of man, in my opinion. *** **** 
One must remember that the Indians apoke in 
their offifn crude language and their addresses 
were translated into our tongue by rough and 
unlettered interpreters! but notvifithstanding 
the apparently insuperable difficulties, 
these Indian Sacheiue have suraiouated all 
obstacles and have made oratory unsurpassed 
for patriotism, for dignity, for logic, for 
depth of emotion, for limitation ftithin exact 
truth and for purity of expression. 



Including Speeches byt 

Chief Logan, a Mngc, 1774. 
Red Jojaktst, a Seneca, 1306. 
Tecumseh, a Shawnee, 1810, 
Pushmataha, a Choctaw, 18S4. 
Black Hawk, a Sac, 18S2. 
Peter Wilson, a Cayuga, 1S47. 



AMERICAH INDIARS AS ORATORS 



There is ao idiite man but may blush &t the broken promises and unfair 
praotioee against the Indians, and it is out of bad faith and bad conduet 
of these misdeeds by ti!.'hite men that various Indian chiefs at different times 
becaae so obsessed of a sense of outrage and injury, that with their accus- 
tomed restraint, they found it necessary to present their causes through 
orators chosen in Indian council, ndio spoke solesmly with the greatest 
dignity and earnestness possible, to white officials, since the use of force 
had proved impracticable. 

It is to such unfortunate conditions, therefore, that we owe the opportunity 
to have gathered and preserved a aaall number of their oratorical gems 
veritable swan songs of a dying race, conquered and despoiled. Their 
plaints were just but ineffectual. Col. Scharf observes in his History of 
Maryland that "The Indian has vanished before the advance of a civilizatio» 
that he was powerless to resist and impotent to share." 

Opportunities to collect authentic Indian orations have been utilissed, of 
which several noble specimens are given in our language. Of all, the so called 
•Lament of Logan' is the most popular and generally known, as it was in 
most American sdiool readers for about seventy five years. "Oi© selections 
following are only seven in number and are confined to two stocks, the 
Iroguoian and the Algonquian, but this limitation is unavoidable, for material 
from other stocks has not been recorded or has not been located. It is also 
to be regretted that only the English translations can be given and not the 
original dialect of the orations. 



CHIEF LOGAH'S LAMENT TO LOED DUMORE 



Ohief Logan was born ttbout 1726, hie real naae waa Tah-gah-jut©} 
by birth he was a Cayuga Indian, but became a dxiet of the Mingoesj 
he lived for loaiiy years near Sandusky, Ohio| his family was murdered 
by whites in 1774j he was killed by white laea, without cause, near 
Detroit, in 1780. 

Lord Dunaaore at this time wao GoTernor of Virginia. Logan* s speech 
was a mess'j^e seat through John Gibson, an Indian trader to Governor 
Duninore. IViere was war at that tia.© between the Indians and whites on 
the western frontier of Virginia, Trouble had long existed in that 
region, but the killing of Logan's family had now become the imaiediate 
cause of a general outbreak, llie war waa brought to a close on October 
10, 1774, by the Battle of Point Pleasant, in which Logan is said 
personally to have talcen thirty scalps. Her© is Chief Logan's faaious 
laments 

I appeal to any white man to say if ever he entered 
Logan's cabin hungr>', and he gave hisa not meatj if 
ever he came cold and naked, and he clothed him not. 
Durir^ the course of the last long and bloody war 
Logan remained idle in his cabin, an advocate for 
peace. Such was say love for the whites that my 
countrymen pointed at me as thay x^aaaed and aaid| 
'Logan is the friend of white men,* 

I have even thought to have lived with you, but for 
the injuries of one laan. Colonel Cresap, the last 
spring, in cold blood and unprovoked, Riurdered all 
thd relations of Logan, not sparing even ay women and 
children. There runs not a drop of my blood in the 
veins of any living creature. 

This called on me for revenge. I have sought it. I 
have killed many. I have glutted my vengeance. For 
Biy country, I rejoice at the beaas of peace. But do 
not think that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never 
felt fear. Logan will not turn on his heel to save his 
life. Who is there to mourn for Logan 1 Not one I 

Of Chief Logan's messages to Governor Dunmore, Governor of Clinton, in his 
'Historical Discourse,* quotes with his own approval, the following 
eulogy of Thomas Jefferson, la his Kotees 

Of their bravery and address in war, we have ssuitiplied 
proofs, because we have been the subjects on ti&ich they 
were exercised. Of their eminence in oratory, we hare 
fewer examples, because it is displayed chiefly ia their 
own councils. Some however we have of very sviperior 
lustre* 

I Bay challenge the whole orations of Demosthenes and 
Cicero, and of any more eminent orator, if Europe has 



mm. 



3.aJ.\t ijaiij- 1^ saw ©ioaT , i . 

5'i edi 



00 r!a.?1fX. 



n: : Sel£j30 eiiiT 
■ijsilJ iaidt ion 



:a©d-ca aid jisoeTali^l* >■ 



•1. 



furnished moro eminent , to produce a sitigle passage, 
superior to the speech of Logan, a Mingo chief to 
Lord Dujimore. 

Altho Logan najned Col, Oresap, which title the father of Oapt. Michael 
Oresap bore, h© referred to the oon. The GreBaps were not responsible 
for the nairdsr of Logan's family, though the Chief believed it. Some 
white men aairdered them, led by a liquor dealer, Daniel Greathouse. 

Ift the spring of 1774, a robbery oocured in a white settlement along 
the Ohio River, whidi was attributed to the Indians. A party of s^ite 
men, as usual, undertook raidii^g and retaliatory raeasurea and going 
along the banks of the Senhawa Kiver, as & canoe of afomen and children 
with one Indian man, unarmed, was seen coming from the <|^pposite shore, 
having no knowledge of the proximity of hostile (suites, wSio oonoeaied 
theiBselves near the river bank, and as the canoe reached shore, each 
occupant was singled out, and in one volley, every person in the canoe 
was killed. President Jefferson states that the occupants of tJiat 
canoe were the fsunily of Chief Logaje.. Soon afterwards near Yellow 
Creak, close to ^Jheeling, '^mt Virginia, a party of Indians were decoyed 
by whites and all of them shot, with ike exception of a little girl. 
Anong these victims were also a brotiier and a sister of Chief Logaji. 

Quite fr«^,uontly the Indians wsre robbed or billed by the rough sien who 
were pioeeers and hunlcrs la the border country. They also occasionally 
robbed and siurdered j^ite aattlers, vengeance for sddoh deeds were soae- 
tiiaes exacted of -lLh Ladians, Silver-Eeels, one cf the favorite chiefs 
of the Shawnees, having been aaardered by whites about that tiiae, Logan led 
them and the lingoea and Deiawares to aiake srar upon th© whites, but the 
Indians were defeated in battle at the mouth of tbe great Senhawa Fdver, 
'A'est Virginia, by a force of about a thoustmd Virginia riflemen, led by 
Governor Durjaore. 

Not loxig after, Logan was shot land killed by a party of «daite men he 
passed near, while retumir^- from Detroit to Miaai. As Logan was known 
by all s^ite officials and settlers as always the white man's friend, 
I believe he deserved a kindlier f6.t©. Logan was a Chief of the Six 
Kations, but resided during most of his life either at Saaidusky or upon 
a. branch of the Scioto. He was the second son of Chief Shlkell-imus, 
whose tribal village was at ShatRokin, Pennsylvania, and riho died in 1749, 
a professed Christian. The Hev, John Heckewelder, a Moravian missionary 
euaong the western Indians, «rot<3 -Jefferson conoomi.ng hogmt "I thought 
hiiii a man of superior talent.^ 

The Rev. David Zeisberger, 3i"., another Moravian ai-ssionary , residing 
fifty years among the DelaMfares, who knew Logan as boy and man, said 
that, "Logftn in particular was a man of quick comprehension, good 
Judgment and talents," * 



'See notes at end of axidre.es. 



^ 



CHIET RED JACKET TO REV. MR. GRAM 



Chief Red Jaoket's real name was, Sa-gu-oa-haj h© was bom about 
175E and was a Seneoaj his home was near Geneva, H. Ihe nam© 
"Red Jacket" came from an embroidered red jacket presented to him by 
a British officer during the Revolution^ he saw service on the Amerioaji 
side in th© War of 1812 and died in 1850. 

The following {lildress waa delivered about the site of Buffalo at a 
courcil of chiefs of ins Cix JlaLicriS in tae sauanjer of 1305 after Rev, 
Mr. Oraai of M&s ^. hiid spoken to fuem of the -itiiesionary work he proposed 
to do affioiig them. AJ*ter his address th© Senecas conferred privately 
for sovoral hours after !T.;ich Red Jacket spok^, as follows: 



Friend and Brothers 



It was tho will of the Great Spirit tiiat we should 
meet together this da^. He orders all things and 
has given us a fine day for our council. He has 
taken Hie garment from before th© sun and caused 
it to shin© with brightness upon us. Our eyee 
are opened that we see clearly j our eara are un- 
stopped that we have been able to hear cfistiiietly 
the words ycu have apoken. For ail thesu favors 
#a thank the Great Spirit, and Him only, 

Brother, t'nia oooncix fir© was kindled by you. 
it wus at your reciue»t that we eam© together at 
this time. Vie hiiV© iisteaeci with attention to 
what you h&,V6 siid. lou requested us to speffk 
our jflindt fioely. Thia gives us great Joy) for 
m now consider that v»e stand upright before you and 
can spedk what wo think. Ail have heard your voice 
and will siiesk to you now as one man. Our minde 
are agreed. 

Brother, you say you want an answer to your talk 
before you leave this place. It is right you ahould 
hali© one, aa you are a great distance from home and 
we do not wish to detain you. But firat we will 
look back a iittl© and tell you what our fathers have 
told us and what m have heard from th© white people. 

Brother, listen to what w© aay, '^liers was a time 
when o\ar forefathers owned this great island. Their 
seats extended from xho riaiug to th© setting eun. 
The Great Spirit had made it for the use of Indians, 
He hod created th© buffalo, the deer, and other animals 
for food. He had laade the bear and the beaver. Their 
skins served ua for clothing. He had scattered them 
over tiie country and taught us how to take them. He 
had caused the earth to produce corn for bread. All 
this He had done for His red children because He loved 
them. If we had some disputes about our hunting-grouad 
they were generally settled without the shedding of much 
blood. 



iiicOfo ftiod 8JBIW 9il ji'iWteO-i/^-seS |8^w ©foen .rj?»i 'd$::^«wsTj foeS 1 
.v©S lei^lij ciOti '10 'XBut;^i)b /fads ai t-inzU&'A >. 



,..:T .liQaaov) luo lo't -^jc-i) jr- r.n as^'I;. 

©TLB -fe'/l"© t«0 i'iilj:i©IO d©e ■. 

• o jfji;* b&u««^ai:i- ov , : j- f. aid 

baa oo^ sio^fsd i it^i'X-.:a bm'Ja ®w ifjiiii, 1^-... ■ t ~ 

'£i>OV. OCT "i-^waxWi Ott ijOfeW »ox ^2 uox ^IS-iit ' 



;.v'io srf-t -iot s»b--ii.. 

. : ^vja©^ edS m& laad on^ ebgem ... .. . 

fiisrf.)- b»'Tt»v+.+«o« b»£i sH .-aftXiia-oXo tot^ b3viei4 

XI A .bee*. .' 'io'i aiQO ooybo-xsj oi /f^i^e ©:U beaafeo bcxi' 
hevoX sH ©aueoed n9-tWi*i'o bei siR lol ©nob bad eH ai-riJ 



But an evil day came upon ua. Your forefathers crossed 
the great water and landed on thia island. Iheir 
numbers were small. They f^und frlezKis and no^ enemies. 
They told us they had fled from their own country for fear of 
wicked men and had com© here to enjoy their religion. 
They asked for a small aeat. We took pity on thiem, granted 
their request, and they aat down among ua. We gave them 
corn and nieati they gave us peisoB in return. 

Brother, the white people had now found our country. 
Tidinga were carried back and mom cane aoaong us. let 
we did not fear them. We took them to be firtends. They 
called us brothers. We believed them and gave them a 
larger seat. 4t length their numbers had greatly increased. 
They slanted more land| tiaey wanted our country. Our eyes 
were opened and our minds became uneasy, wars took place. 
Indians were hired to fight against Indians, and many of 
our people were destroyed. They also brought strong liquor 
amor^ us. It was strong and powerful, and has slain 
thousands. 

Brother, our seats were once large and yours were small. 
You have now become a great people, and we have scarcely 
a place left to spread our blankets. You have got our 
country, but are not satisfied} you *aBt to force your 
religion u.on us. 

Brother, continue to listen. You say that you are sent 
to instruct us hew to worship the Great Spirit agreeably 
to His mindj and, if we do not t-ake hold of the 
religion which you white people teach we shall be unhappy 
hereafter. You say that you are right and we are lost. How 
do we know this to be true 1 We understand that your 
religion is written in a Book. If it was intended for us, 
as well |tiSKX as you, why has not the Great Spirit given 
to us, and not only to us, but why did He not give to our 
forefathers the knowledge of that Book, with the meians of 
understanding it rightly. We only know «diat you tell us 
about it. How shall we know when to believe, being so often 
deceived by the white people ? 

Brother, you say there is but on© way to worship and serve 
the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do 
you white people differ so much about it 7 Why not all 
agreed, as you can all read the Book ? 

Brother, we do not understand these things. W© are told 
that your religion was given to our forefathers and has 
been handed down from father to son. We also have a 
religion >^ich was given to our forefathers and has been 
handed down to us, their children, ie worship in that way. 
It teaches ue to be tiiankful for all the favors we receive, 
to love each other, and to be united, never quarrel 
about religion. 

Brother, the Gre t Spirit has made us all, but He has 
made a great difference between His white and His red 
children. He has givett us different complexious and different 



ion boB afoael- ■ 



1 ilndi 



■f -jf- o.| oW .me rid- ijeet ic 



\ti:f^ firo bfj-a ijaaeqo eiaw 
mm f>[',Toe'.r t:0o 
■M 



1UC ioT, s-vsd ifoY 



•XlfO 

'io ar. 

B0 X^sJv; . 



: 1 »i£ i^Q'x i^'''' 

toa x^f^ t^<>X XHS^ IXdw Bij 
j}/d \sw x^Hsi ;tofl ,eM oJ- 



c-..©1 iXiJ 0OX ^- 

M:. :-a« *to,a c«fo «w 

\M lot liit^lSSii 9Cf Ovt r 



customs. To you He has given the axte. lo these He 
has not opened our eyes. We know these things to 
be true. Since He has made ao great a difference 
between us in other things, lAiy aay we not conclude 
that He hae given ua a different religion according 
to our understanding ? The Great Spirit doee right. 
He knows what is best for His children} we are 
satisfied. 

Brother, we do not wish to destroy your religion or 
take it from you. 3?e only want to enjoy our own. 

Brother, you say you have not ooBie to get our land 
or our money, but to enlighten our luinds. I will now 
tell you that I have been at your aieetinge and saw 
you collect money from the meeting. I can not tell 
iffhat this money was intended for, bur suppose that it 
was for your miniaterj aiMl, if we should conform to 
your way of thinking, perixaps you may want some from 
us. 

Brother, we are told that you have been praachirg 
to the «fcite j.eople in this i,lace. 'iliese people axe 
our neighbors, '^«e are sioquainted with them. We will 
wait a little while and see «rfiat effect your preachixjg 
has upon them. If we find it does them good, makes 
them honest, and less disposed to cheat Indians, 
will then consider again of Ahat you have said. 

Brother, you hare now heard our answei' to your talk, 
and thia is all we have to say at present. Aa we 
are going to part, ws will come and take you by the 
hand, and hope the Gre t Spirit will protect you on 
your jjourney and return you safe to your friends. 

When the speech was finished, R«d Jacket and several other Indians 
forward to shake hands and say good-bye, to the missionary, who 
refused the courtesy, so the Indians quietly withdrew. 

Red Jacket was perhaps the greatest of all Indian orators. His Indi 
naae, Sar-go-oa-ha means "the l:eeper-awake." ifVhen asked «nce about 
hie deeds in battle, he said "A warrior ! I am an orator. I was bor 
an orator." 

Thatcher tells of a speech by Red Jacket when about thtrty years of 
*ige and sayd: 

"Two days," eaye our authority, "had passed away 
In negotiations with the Indians for a cession 
of their lands. The contract was supj oned to be 
nearly completed, when Red-Jacket arose. With 
the grace and dignity of a Roman senator, he drew 
his blanket around him, and, f/ith a pieroir^ eye. 



:. ^ TSIO £ 



4i o ,01 



i36d el ii'xfft awotsi eH 



aoil: ©1BO8 iftB« vox a^^Kri'seq ^3all^IiJl^^ %o x^-"' "syoij 



surveyed the multitide. All was hushed, Ho thing 
interposed to brnak the silence, save the gsntle 
rustling of the tree- tops, under whoss shade they 
were gathered. After a long and soiemn, but not 
unmeaiiing pause, he oommeaoed his speech in a low 
voice and a sententious style, i^ising grouiually 
with his mibject, h« depicted the primitive simpli- 
city and happiness ol" 1 is nation, and the v.'rongs 
they haa sustained from the usurpations of white 
men, with such a bold but faithi'ul pencil, that 
every euditor was soon roused to vengeance, or 
melted into tears. The effect was inexpressible." 



Red Jacket met Gen. Washington and received a silver medal ^hieh he 
jirore ever aJ*t6rwards. Washington called hist the "fioaer of the forest." 
It is too bad that in his later days, Eed Jacket succumbed to the 
rum habit, as had some of the greatest Indian warriors and orators, aa 
Uncas, Logan and others. 



•so ,esi:x- -^'^lev oj- beauOT coos ajew io»>jLbuB 4-i*v« 



erf n:.. 



ijljB 1fiT& d^OT> 



CHIEF TE-OM-SEH to GOW.HOR W. H. HARRISON 



Chief Te-cum-aeh «ra3 born about 1768 aad beoam© a Chief of the 
Shawnees. The follovdng speech was delivered to Governor H, 
Harrison in ccxincil at Vincemiea, Ind,, August 1£, 1810. Large 
tracts of land in Te-cuai-seh' e absence, hjj-d been sold by the Indians 
to whites on both sidea of the Wajhash Mver. 

It is true I am a Pawnee* 

My forefathers were warriors. Their son is 
a warrior. Frcii them I take only my existenc©| 
from my tribe I take nothing. I am the iaaiier 
of my own fortune? and Gh Ik that I could make 
that of my rod pecx^le, and of my country, as 
great as th|| conceptions of my Blind, sttien I 
thirJc of th* Spirit that rules the uni verse. 
3 would not then coiae to Governor Haxrison 
to ask him to tear the treaty and to obii^t- 
erate the iaiidmarkj but I would siy to him! 
"Sir, you have liberty dto return to your own 
country," 

I'h© being within, oomiauning with past ages, tells 
m© that once, nor until lately, there was no -pdiit© 
man on this contiaent; that it then all belonged 
to red men, children of the same parents, placed 
on it by the Gre .t Spirit that taaxJ© them, to keep 
it, to traverse it, to enjoy its productions, sucid 
to fill it with the s.:aiie race, once a happy race, 
since mad© miserable by the white i)eople, uio are 
never contented but always encroaching. The way, 
and the only way, to check and to stop this evil, 
is for all the red men to unite in claiming a 
oomnon and equal right in the land, as it was at 
first, and should b© y©t| for it never was divid- 
ed, but belongs to all for the uss of each. For 
no part has a right to sell, even to each other, 
irtuch less to strangers, those who want all, aad 
will not do «th less. 

The Kfcit© people have no right to take the laad 
from the Indians, because they had it first) it 
is theirs. They may sell, bur all must join. Any 
sale not mad© by all la not valid. Ih© late sale 
is bad. It was maae by a part only. P^*t do 
not know how to sell. It requires all to inak© a 
bargain for all. All red men have equal rights 
to the unoccupied land. The ri^ht of occui-ancy 
is ae good sx in one place as in another. There 
cm not be two occupations in th© a .me place. 
Ih© first excludes all others. It is not so in 
hunting or traveling} for there the s-jb© ground 
will serve many, as they aay follow each other 
all day} but the camp is stationary, and that 
is occupancy. It belongs to the first who sits 
down on his blanket or skins which he has thrown 
upon the ground} and till he leaves it not other 
has a right. 



afu' ;:.bal -aLf-J x^i' tioe .i-ae . . an&l lo c 



add '(0 <ti /lo 



ji/.v.-. ■ C'.i Oils 
■■ al Q^lcj 



Xlao ariJ- bo* 

-di- IXa lol B.t 
ill iti^xt f-aaps bm noui-aoD 

s: &Bd &1£C Oil 



5IUj ^X 



,383] rfi'^ .:to« ILi c 



ob i'l^-"^ .x^^o a^ffi .tod si 

o ^iigii I^ij]^ evjjii neja bai XIA .XIa lol iiL" vTs.-H 

8i qflL49 adJ- J-wci ?'t*.b XXa 
£f »d (iotdw aaiJfe 10 ^05Ui*Xcf aid a© iiwob 



IShis Chief joined the British in the **ar of i81£j fought in several 
battles in Canada} oomiianded the right wing of the allied Indian and 
British forces, «4io were defeated in the Battle of the Thaxaea by General 
Harrison. He was twin brother of Elsk-»ar'taw, oalled the Prophet, who 
«ras defeated by General Harrison in the Battle of Tipjpicanoe. 

Thatcher, whose Indian biographies were written about a century a^o, 
said that Te-oui&eeh ta» fraxik, warlik©, persuasive in his oratoiy, 
popular in his manners md ; irreproachable in his habits of life. 
Heckewelder, the Moravian, saye that T®~cuiit-'seh belonged to a nation 
noted for much talk as well as hard fighting; and was never at a 
loss for ioords, though h© used thea with ohariness which Hfight be 
imitated without i±££kweL±tji difisi^vanta^g^ by some of our aodsrn orators. 
It was only afiiien he spoke for the explaaation of vindication of that 
great cause to which his whole heart and mind were devoted, that he 
indulged himself in any thing beyond the laconic language of necessity. 
His appearaace was always noble his forsi syjametrical — his carriage 
erect and lofty — his motions ooimamding — but under the exoitaent 
of his favorite theme, he became a new being. The artifice of the 
politician, the diffidence of tJie strauger, the desaurs dignity of 
the warrior, were cast aside like a oioaic. His fin® countenance lighted 
up with a fiery and haughty pride. His fra^e swelled with emotion. 
Every posture and every gesture hswl its eloquent meaning. Md then 
lan^age, indeed — tJie irrepressible outbreaking of nature — flowed 
glowing from the passionr-foun tains of the soul. 



ed drfj^ifa doiif* Bsaai'i^J^ xfiiw arajfi beesj aif A^uodi ^sb%cm it 

9/1" &j»d& ,.5ed'ov0fe »ia« bsiliji bas J"3U:&xf ©lo.v'. . ,u. .:.l\ .., . 
Q'ggiii'sstj ex.d LmitSeosmxQ snot tid — sldoxi a^awljs e.^?; 

narid- faii/i .^niiiesia d-iieiipole bH bed ©lu-tasg x^tjve boa siaSaoc. v-tf v'? 



CHIEF TE-CSJM-SEH TO THE EMGa£»l GENERAL PROCTOR 



The following speeoh was delivered in the naaie of the Indian Chiefs 
euad warriors to Major^General Hsnry A, f'rootor, aa the representative 
of their great father, the British King, a short time before the Battle 
of the Thames in Canada, which occurred on October 5, 1913. General 
Proctor was totally defeated by the Americans under Gen. Jiilliajn Henry 
HaiTieon, afterwsjrds President. This speech was first published in 
1815 in the National Intelligeneer at Washington, with a note saying 
it was "found aaong Gen. Proctor's papers after his flight." 

Father, listen to ycur children. You have them 
new all before you. 

The v.ar before this, our British Father gave 
the hatchet to his red children i«jhen old chiefs 
were alive. They are now dead. In that war our 
father was thrown on his back by the Americana, 
a.nd our father took them by the hand without our 
knowledge; and we are afraid that our father will 
do so again at this time. 

Sumer before Ikst, when I came forward with 
red brethren and was ready to take up the hatcbet 
in favor of our British father, we were told not 
to be in a hurry j that he had not yet determined 
to fight the Americans. 

Listen liftien war was declared, our father stood 
and gave us the tomahawk, and told us that he 
was ready to strike the Americans} that he wanted 
our asaistance, and that he would certainly 
get US our lands back, Vfhich the Americans had 
taken from us. **♦ *** ♦** 

Listen li&ea *e were last at the Rapids, it is 
true we gave you little assistaxice. It is hard 
to fight people who live like ground-hogs. 

Father, listen ! Our fleet has gone out| we know 
they have foughtj we have heard the great guns, 
but know r.o thing of whiit h^a JBiippened to our 
father with one *irm. Our ships have gone one way, 
and we are ir^uoh astonished to see our father 
tying up every thir^ and preparing to run away with 
the other, without letting his red children kiiosy what 
his intentions are. You tix^vays told us to reiaain 
here and take care of our lane. It ixiade our hearts 
glad to hear th&,t wae > ur wish. Our great father, 
the king, is the head, axid you represent hisa. You 
always told us that you would never draw your 
foot off British ground; but now, father, we see 
you are drawing back, and are sorry to see our 
father doing so witiiout seeing the eneay, He 
must compare our father' s conduct to a fat animal 
that carries its tail upon its back, but when 
affrighted it drops it between it a legs and runs 



miwin JAflaKSD mumn 3ht ot im-^ijio-^^T '?2i?!o 



dQii'' j.-. .-i ■..'AiO ~J C!>'t;.J' ^.Jj.i^y 1 ivii, .t3j. J- 'i 

bsiiiaii©i&.b " - ; '■ . ix^iud & xxi ©<i oJ" 

vtj.-iid eu Mod" bm- , >' • nroi aildr aw evjs'ii bm 

hi>x am>aiieJ5A lioiri^ ,3i6j?ci- aba-aX mo d-ag 

.iBfer 310^1 a©3*«^ 

v.; ... ... o.isisXsas ©X^iiX sso% av^a ©» ami 



■\o ®aog avjsxi yjiifife iifO .fflTfj* ano d^tt^ -liyjiijst 

o.vjix-exi -iijo aii-iiii JX «^acX -imo lo ©ueo 

j . i: , i. 10 X ^ai, Jj^dci .... - . 

- bluov uox ay isXai a^^^iv. r- 

. : iou^iioo its •i0riuji.". 
anui biGu* ^^oX six j£!te*wied iX sqoii) itX feaWsXi'i^* 



off. 



Listen, father ! The Amerioaos have not yet de- 
feated us by land| neither are we sure they have 
dose so by wiiterj tie therefore wish to remain 
here and fight our enemy should they make their 
appearance. If they defeat us, we will then re- 
treat with our father. 

At the Battle of the Rapids, last year, the Aaieri- 
can defeated ue; and when we retreated to our 
father's fort in that place Mie gates were 
shut against us. We were afraid that it would 
now be the case, but instead of that we now see 
our British father preparing to march out of hie 
garrison. 

FaWlier I You have got the arms and amiuunition which 
our great father sent for his red children. If you 
have an idea of goin^ away, gi . e them to us, and you 
may go and welcome} for ue, our lives are in the 
hands of the Great Spirit. We are determined to de- 
fend our lands, and if it is His will we wish to leave 
our bones upon them. 

The oratory of Te-cua-seh shows he had a gre:.t mind, roused by the 
strongest motives of urtiioh human nature is susoeptiie, and developing 
a power and a labor' of reason, which conimanded the adndraticn of the 
civilized, aa justly as tiie corJ'idence and pride of the savage. But 
other orators, too, have appeared among his countryavne, as eloquent and 
as eminent as Te-cuai-eeh, wherever the same roving causes and occasions 
vbuld give blxrth and scope to the same eniulous effort. And the inere 
oratory in all these cases, was not so much an absolute vindication, as 
a naked and meagre index of the mighty intellect and noble spirit within. 

Chief Te-oum-seh held the King's conwdssion as a Brigadier General of 
the British forces, and acquitted hiinaelf with distinction. Bravery 
is a savage virtue. 



37,-,.; -r^AU...: ti:. - : ^/iJtC ^ - 

biwcvii ii ^jsxij iia-xlt:. «ii9is els .ay iiais^ d'urfe 

, .aeiruirfej ain iv.... i.j^ iwc 

uov boe jaii ci aiQ£iJ- evi^ om '^v^ft 

a^tt «! .aixi aeVil luo ^ex/ lot ^ v... 



bm ■t.aaiiJcXs aji ,efl«Y-: ise'Wjoqq* %jVi-d ,00^ ^eic 



CHIEF PUSH-MA-T^HA TO SECRET AKT J0H8 C. CALHOUH 



Chief Push-ma- tib-ha born in 17S5, became a Chief of the ChoctavifSj 
h© had e notable oaxeer as a warrior sigainst the Oe^ge Indians and in 
Mexico} he served with the AmericaEs in the Ssr of 181? and died in 
1824. 

PuehaateJlia*a naart© means "The warrior* s eet-t ie finished." In 1824 he 
mnt to Wa^ir-gton "to briiil'iten the dtiain of yeaoe," where he was treat- 
ed with great attention by Freeident Monro© and John G. Calhoua, then 
seoretaxy of war, to idiom he made the speech here given, of whieh a copy 
is preserved in the War Department. 

Father, I have been here at the oouncil-house 
for soice time, tut I have not ts.lked. I ha-ve 
not been strong enough to talk. You shall 
hear me talk to-day. I beloi^ to another dis- 
trict, lou havej^ no doubt, heard of me. I 
am PushiR.s.taii&. 

Father, when in ay ci»n country, I often looked 
toward this counoil-houae, and wanted to coHie 
here. I am in trouble. I sdll tell iRy dis- 
tresses. I feel like a small child, net half 
as high as its f3,ther, ?fho cosies up to look in 
his father's face, hanging in the bend of hie 
arm, to tell him his troubles. So, father, I 
Sang in the bend of your arsG, and look in your 
faoei and now hear me speak. 

Father, sKhen I was in my om country, I heard 
there were men appointed tc talk to us. I 
Rould not speak therej I chcse to conie here, 
and speak in this beloved hcusej for Pushnataha 
can boast and say, and tell the truth, that 
none of his fathers, cr grandfathers, or any 
Choctaw, ever drew boesf a^;ainst the United States, 
They have rxlwaya been friendly, W© h3,ve held the 
hands of the United States so long that our nails 
a.re long like birds' claws; and there is no dan- 
ger of their slipping out. 

Father, I have come to speak. %• nation has al- 
ways listened to the applications of the white 
people. They have gi^'en of their country till 
it ie very small. I came here, sifhen a young .iiaja, 
to see my Father Jefferson. He told lae, if over 
we got in trouble, w© imst run and tell him. 
I am come. This is e- friendly talk} it is like 
that of a man who meets another, 2nd s;iys, 'Ho*' 
do you do . ' 

Marquis de Lafayette was in 8?ashington at this time and the dioct&wa 
visited him, soon after afhich the great chief was taken ill and before 
dying said to the Indians with him. 



ai b^ib bar • . 



©fflCiO 0.+ b^KffXmw te.r-^ . .... 
•^ib i^Ti I.r5?i III'?; i. ..eXd.uoTE^ iii >. 



ali 



.mid: XX©^ b;-. 
ailX ai Si {-U, 



tthm you sLall ooiue to y;.ur home they will ask you 
• 'yiliere itt ?utili-iiia;-t£?-fea' ajod you aa^ to Vn&ui 'lie 

4s no more I' Tkey will hear the tidiDgs like the 
sound of the I'aii of a aiighty o(xir. in the etillnesa 
of the ViToode. 

On© of his liist requests was that he iidght be buried with sailits^ry 
honors. The i^roceeDion th&,t follcwed his body to the Congressional 
Cemetery was estimated to be more than a raile in length. The side- 
weulka, stoops and urindows of houses wore thronged along the way, 
and minute guns were firod from the hill of the oapitol. John 
Randolph, in a eulogy pronounced in the Senate, oharactsrii-.ed him 
as "one of nature's nobilityi a man who ivould have adorned any 
aooiety," On his tocibaton© he ia described aG -warrior of great 
distinotionj he wiae in oounoil, elotiuent in an extraordinary 
degree, and, on all occasions md under ali cirouustances, the 
white man's friend.** President %dr6w Jackson said he was "the 
greatest and the bravest Indian he had ever known." 



CHIEF BLACK HkM. TO GEKSRAL STRaSl 



Chief Black Haa* iia.6 born in 37J^85 in 1788} succeeded his father &a 
Chief of the Sac Indiejaej be acted against the ^©ricejas in the Knar 
of 1.812; in 1331 because of the oocupe.tlon by the «riiitefi of certain 
Vacated lands, began the Black Hawk f^ar, but was defeated in July 
18SE by Gen. Dod^e on the Wisconsin nnd in August 1852 by Gen. At- 
kinson on fh3 Bad Axe; surrendered August 87th, w.^.s token East and 
confined in Fortress Monroe, Va. until June, 18?5 — then S5 years 
ol. 

The following speech waa delivered in the late summer of 1332 to 
General Street of the militia, 

lou have taken me j'^-ieoner, with all my warriors. 
I am much grlevedj for I expected, if I did not 
defeat you, to hold out much longer, snd give you 
more trouble, before I surrendered. I tried hard 
to bring you into ambush, but your last general 
understood Indian fighting. I determined to rush 
on you, and fight you face to face. X fought h.<?xd 
but your guns? were well aimed. The bullets flew 
like birds in the air, lesnd whizzed by our ears like 
the wird throu£:h the trees in wirter. My warriors 
fell around me; it began to look dismal, 

I say lEy evil day at hand. The sun rose dim on us 
in tiic fficrning, t'Xid at night it saxik in the dark 
could, and looked like a ball of fire. That was the 
1 st sun that shone on Black Hawk, His heart is dead, 
and no longer beats quick in hi.? bosom. He is now a 
prisoner of the white men| they will do with him as 
they wish. But he can 'stand torture, and is not 
afraid of death. He is no coward, tilack Hawk 
is an Indian, He had done nothing for ?Aiich an 
Indian ought to be ashmed. He has foufht for hie 
oountryMen, P^ainat white men, who came, year after 
y&iT, to cheat them apd take away their lands, lou 
kno-^y the oa«se of our making war. It la known to all 
■fhite men. They otight to be aah^saed of it, Tlie 
v.-hite men despise the IndianB, and drive them 
from their homes. They sail© in the face of the Poor 
Indian, to chsst himj they ahake him by the hand, to 
gain h43 confidence, to make him drunk, and to de- 
ceive him, Wg told them to let us alone, and keep 
away from usj but they followed on and beset our 
paths, 5nd they coiled thew'selves awiong us liks the 
enake. They poisoned '-is by their touch. We were 
not safe, ?/e lived in danger. We looked up to 
the Great Spirit, Wp went to our father, Sf^e were 
sncouri\ged. His great council gave us fair words 
and big promises, but we got no Bixti^f action; things 
were groida^- worse. There were no deer in the forest. 
The cpossura nd beaver were fled, ITie springs were 
drying up, and our squaws and papooses were without 
food to keep theia from st^jrving. 

We called a great council and built a large fire. 
'Ilie spirits of our fathers arose, and spoke to us 



.)• ?xnt).e(f ■ -few' ■b^ti.^©r^.(^'"f■f©l• 



8rf...t ■ 



to avenge our wrongs or die. I^'e set up the w„r- 
whoop^ and dug up the tomahas^f our knives were 
ready, and the heart of Black Hasdc swelled high 
itx his boeoffi, iufhen he led his warriorc to battle. 
He iB satisfied. He will go to the world of 
spirits coDtented. He has done his duty. Hia 
ft.ther id. 11 inest him there, and ocminend him. 
Blaxsk Hawk is a true Indian, ana disdains to cry 
like a woman. He feels for his wife, his chil- 
dren, and his friends. But he does not care for 
himself. He cares for the fJation and the Indians. 
They will suffer* He laments their fate. Fare- 
well, my Nation i Black Hawk tried to save you, 
and avenge your wrongs. Ha drank the blocd of 
some of the whites. He has been tai-en priaonor, 
and hia plans are oiniahed. He can do no orore. 
He is near his end. His sun is setting, ^id he 
will rise nc more. Parewfall to Black Hawk I 



It may be of interest to KXiov* that Capt. Abraham Lincoln ana Lieut. Jefferson 
Davia served ir the oaiapaign against Black Hawk. Aftsr hiy surrender at 
Prairie du Chien, i^fis. he vas taken prisoner to ^a-ihington and called on 
President Andrew Jackson at the White rioass. *hen introduced he said to 
the President, ''I am a msn and you are another." 



re- „j 







■^kO-'dk-MOm TO THe 14. Y. HISTORICAL SOCIETY 



Peter Sfll son whose Indian naa© wae^'ao-woii-vyik-xiaojxk , '^ihidh ioofiUS 
"They hear kls voioe,** was a Cayuga ^ief. 

The following addreas vaxa delivered byi'crs i^;ow iork Hietcric^il 
Society ocMay 4, 1847 and is oopiaa and abridged from i-he Archives 
of thaC Society. 

You 800 bei'ore you IroiiUoia; yef^, a n?i.tivo 
American I 



You have he aid the hiatory of the Ijidifia trails 
and the geogi axhy o:.' the St&te of K©w ^crk before 
it was knoftn to the pal©faoo£» The lajod cf f*a- 
nun-no waa oiioe laced by these trails from :\lbany 
to Buffalo, iraiifc that peox^Ie had trod fcr 
ce»t*»le8 — ^om so deep by tlit; feet of the -'"ro-iuoia 
that they became your own rcade of travel, wiien my 
people no lor^erwaliced in Ihoai. lour high'.?3,ye still 
lie in tacae pathsj the s jaa linos of coffiHuml cation 
bind one paxt of the Icng House to aiicther, fSy 
friend haa told you tliat the Ircc[adis have no monu- 
mente. Thetie higiiwaye ar-e thsir uionuinfeXitaj this 
land of Ga- nun-no, this En^pirs St&te, is cur monu- 
ment. JKe wish to lay our bones t-iidor its soil, ajaong 
those of our fathers. We shall not long occupy much 
rcoKi in Uving ~ otill lesa when we axe gone. 
Have we, the first holders cf this prospcroTje reg- 
ion, no longer a share in thiX history ? Glexl were 
ycur forefathers to sit down upon the threshold 
cf the Long Hcuee. Rich did "iiey then he ld tbota- 
selvea in getting the Ktore sv/eepingc froa its door. 
Hari our forel'athei'3 apurnou you froiu it, v^ien the 
French wsre thundering at Uit? o.'i.caite end to out 
a p&,saage thrcU^^h and drive you into the QCti, '.vhat- 
ever has been the fa.te of otl'-er Irdlana, the Iroquois 
mi^t etill have been a. n&tion| and I, too, might 
h%ve had — a cou/itrj' I 

•Tli'cre vtas a prcphet of our race in early times »sho 
said that the day would come «hon troublos would 
fall up^n the Indians ao that th^y would knooit their 
heade together. ?|hen that tiiae caase they were to 
Search for a large palia-tre© and shelter their hesxde 
beneath its shade, letting their bodies be buried at 
Its roots, and cause th^t tree to flourish ard become 
3. fitting monument of the Iroquois race. That time 
has now come} we are in troubis una diatress — we 
knock our heads to^eLher in agony, and we desire to 
find the paliD-tree that we may lie dov.n and die be- 
neath it. fte wish that palm-tree to be tli© State of 
Kew York, that it may be the nonuEient of the Irocuoia. 



7.0 x^eiooci 



axio be id 



gnosis t 



ixd^fct- iooai iaiuow 



-fau •■;siu iJ-y.: 



These orations of American Indian chiefs are among the 
fineet gema of oratory ever uttered by the tongue of sum, in 
my opinion. I have read the English translations of the Greek 
orations of Deiaoethenes, particularly that one called "On the 
Crown" whitrii is said to be the finest oratorieal effort of an- 
tiquity, so regarded then as now, I h&v© read some of the 
finest speeches of Roman orators ffho swayed the populace, as 
well as those of some of the Frendi during their revolution, 
Majay of the English and Irish speeches of greatest reputation, 
I have read with delightj but one aiust reiaeiiiber that the Indians 
spoke in their own crude language and that their addresses usually 
were translated into our tongue by rough and unlettered interpre- 
ters! that notwithstanding the apparently insuperable difficulties, 
these Indian Sachems have surmounted all obstacles and have made 
oratory unsurpassed for patriotism, for dignity, for logic, for 
depth of emotion, for limitation within exact truth and for 
purity of expression. 

This is the more surprising because we are speaking of 
translations, «diile we all Know that every author suffers iree- 
parably in translation, although aost transla-tors are persons of 
high education and special knowledge of their subject, vshioh ad- 
vantages the Indians did not have. Moreover, the world" s great 
orators reduced their thoughts to writing and carefully revised 
them, frequently during a period of years, but not so the Indians. 

It would be fine to have the succeaaful plea of Pocahontas 
to Posfhattan, her fatiter, to spare the life of Gapt. ^ohn Smith 
and to know what the chief Indian spokeeisan said to "(iilliairi i'enn 
under the tree when the treaty was made in 1682 that was never 
broken} but unfortunately there is no verbatim record of either. 

Enough perhaps has already appeared respecting the Five 
Rations to justify the observation of an eminent writer, that 
they were no less celebrated for eloquence than for railitary 
skill and political wisdom. The same obvious circumstances 
prompted them to excellence in all these departments! but in 
the former, their relations with e.ioh other and with other 
tribes, together with the great influence ift'hich their reputa- 
tions and power attached to the efforts of their orators 
abroad, gtfcve thea peculiar inducements, fifacilities axid almost fac- 
ulties for success. Among the Confederates, as among the Ind- 
ians of all the East and South, a high respect was cherished for 
the warrior's virtuesf but eloquence was a certain road to pop- 
ular favor. Its services were daily required in ccnsultations 
at home and comainications abroad, ih© council place was fre- 
quented like the Roman forum and the senate-house of the Greeks. 

The kind of oratory for wbiich Gar-an-gu-la and other public 
speakers of the Confederacy of the Five M5.tions were distinguished, 
it cannot be expected of ua to analyze -Aith laich precision. Ind- 
ian oratory is generally pointed, direct, undisguised, unpolished; 
but forcible in expression and delivery, brilliant in flashes of 
imagery, md naturally ajcdmated with graphic touches of humor, 
pathos, or sententious declaration of high-toned principle, — 
according in some measure to the occasion, but more immediately to 
the laoifientary iiupulse of the epeiJcer as supported by his prevalent tal- 
ent. If the orators of the Five Nations differed much from this 
deaoriction, it was in qualities which they owed, independently of 
genius, to their extraordinary op>crtunities of practice, and to the 



, b-jset fflvjjff I .(son Swfi nsif-i l3i»£rr.}*33" 
Bmibal &di .t >ixo cfud ^^d-^il&b sLfiw hsei arei 1 

"^^Jfs- ion bib aaeibfil e/tJ- 8»^Jiiev 



ae-' ■ oi^'-b ©dlT .jrobaiw X^oiiiXoq btjjs XXiie 

i'l-j- d-zi rx>e ai aatioXXeoxa o^t iaeriJ- beiqiacnq 

sioi'jr.'io • iJ- oJ- b©ikwBiJ-j8 tijwoq boa anci,t' 

-J3x.il siif gxioflj-g 1 ^botnoO ?»£ut gaaig^. .8g!«o«iW8 lot seiJ-Iu 

•sot borlel'torfo ax-. l^isc^ bm J-asS aiij XXj» to ai»i 



BaolS.tutlL'Baoo nl 
-eit Bs-\if ©ax-ICi lion 
■■-M:nd 9di to eauoxi-.. 



. n.oXei 0319, :;t, , J. . ... :v,^x;<3 ad.d'OflaBO ii 

■ 'i iii ia&lillid ^x^&iriL9b bm miBQeiipi» ni ©Xdloaot i*Mcf 
to asdotroj- oidqjii^' .rfixw bad-uiifllni- xXXjesIx/^a:: bos ,Tciief»«ffli: 

itojit iud «nolc*ooo ©dv-j- ^aibiooooi 



•xetttb enolijePI ©vi'^ ©.: tl I .iae 

-.two xedS doidm B&liiL ^aoiiqxk< 



interest taken in their efforts by the tribe. 



"llie speaKers whom I have hoard, »• aaya Mr. ^olden, "had all & 

great influenoy of words, and jauch oiore grace in their maiuier, than any 

man oowild expect,. 'iXttor^ a people entirely ignorant of the liberal arte 

and sciences." He adds, that he had understood them to be (not 

knowing their Isngva^e himself)— veiy nice in the turn of their ex- 
presaionaj though it seems but few of them were such fn&sters of the 
**rt d3 never to offend their Indian hearers by an unpolite expression. 
Their greatest speakers attained to a sort of urbanitas or atticism. 

In the case of Chief Logan for instance, are hear that «*chn '-'ibson, 
an Indiaa trader, wrote off the aesaage with a lead penoii upon a iece 
of paper that he happened to have, transiatint; from Mingo to En^lieh as 
he ftTote what Logsn spoke, punctuated by tears. There was n revision 
of the message by Logan or Gib&on. The phenomenon is eo rejnarkabie 
that is ia entitled to greater oonaid©ration than it haa ever received. 

Mr, Golden, who knew CJhief Do-caa-ee-ora, an Onajidaga, well, and 
heard him. speak frequently, gives hiia credit for a perfect fluency, 
and for "a graceful elocution that would have pleased ia any part of 
the world." That Sachem was for many years almost inv^riably^aployed 
by histribe as principal speaker in Ifeeir negotiations ith both Eng- 
glish i.nd French authorities. He was tall, and hie person well made} 
aoad his features are said to have borne a reaeablance to the busts of 
Cicero. It is much to be regretted in his case, as in rany others, 
that but very slight indications of his ©loqueace are preserved to these 
times, ^ch as are preserved, probably do him very imperfect justice. 

The most remarkable American Indian was perhaps Tamenend, the 
great chief of the Delawares. He vras a man laost renowned in every 
respect, especially for wisdom and oratory. The Tammany Society of 
Hew York was named after hiai. 

Of the oratory of Pontiao, the famous Ottawa chieftain, there re- 
mains only one verbatiie «xaiaple, it being the occasion of a conference 
with the French at Detroit, held May 23, 1763. The reasoning ia in- 
genious and laoreover the manner is ingenious and convincing. For gen- 
erations afterwards, the Indians of his section still regarded him aa 
the greatest of their leaders. 

Among the Indiana, oratory was the surest road to preferment and 
they held many councils which gave occasion for the development of abil- 
ity and eloquence. Those usiio were permitted to speak, received the 
greatest respect. It is said that the chieftain of a Virginian tribe 
"'hiie speaking in a council with the English, and others, was inteiv 
rupted by one of hie tribe j he turned, drew his tomahawk and split 
the intruder's head with a aingl© blow and imraediately turned about 
ajad finished his earnest and eloquent plea to the whit© men for Jus- 
tice to hie tribe. 

I am grateful that Alexander Fop© in his "Essay on Maa," written about 
1731, showed an appreciation and understanding of Indian character in hia 
fajoous linest 

Lo, the poor Indian ! ■a-hoee untutor'd mind 
Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind; 
His soul's proud Science never taught to stray 
Bar as the solar walk or milkv wav. 



iiS^ i. 
ion 



to 



-tu ex 



-•A fix o.dva , - 



Hotea relatiug to Chief Logan or TAH-GAH-JUTE. 



Thoma Jefferson, in the appendix to his "Kotes on Virginia" published 
a letter by him to Gov, Henry of Maryland dated Philadelphia, December 
31, 1797, relative to the murder of Chief Logan's family, the letter 
in part is sls follows: 

When Lord Dunmore returned from the expedition 
agair^t the Indiana, in 1774, he and hie officers 
brought the speech of Logan, and related the cir- 
cumstancea connected with it. These were so af- 
fecting, and the speech itself so fine a morsel 
of eloquence, that it beoaae the theme of every 
conversation, in ifiilliamsburg particularly, azui 
generally, indeed, wheresoever any of the officers 
resided or resorted. I learned it in i^'illiamsburg, 
I believe at Lord i^jaore'sj and entry of the narrsu- 
tive, as taken from the mouth of some Derson.t whose 
name, however, it not noted, nor recollected, pre- 
cisely in the worda stated in the Notes on Virginia. 
The speetdi was published in the Virginia Gazette of 
that time (I have it myself in the volume of ga- 
zettes of that year) and though in a style by no 
means el^ant, yet it was so admired, that it flew 
thro\igh all the ublic papers of the continent, 
and through the magazines and other periodical 
publications of Great c^ritainj and those wb,o were 
boys at that day will now attest, that the speech 
of Logan used to be given them as a school exer- 
cise for repetition. It was not till about thir- 
teen or fourteen years after the newspaper publi- 
cations, that the Kotes on Virginia were published 
in America, *♦* *** I copied, verbatim, the 
narrative I haxi taken down in 1774, and the speech 
as it had been given ua in a better translation by 
Lord Cunmore. I knew nothing of the Gresapa, and 
could not possibly have a motive to do them an in- 
jury with design. I repeated what thousands had 
done before, on as good authority as we have for 
most of the facta w© leaxn through life, and such 
as, to this moment, I have aeen no reason to doubt. 
That anybody questioned it, was never suspected by 
me, till I saw the letter of Sir. :*dartin in the Bal- 
timore paper. I endeavoured ihen to recollect tftio 
among my contemporaries, of the same circle of so- 
ciety, and consequently of the same recollections, 
might still be alive. Three and twenty years of 
dea.th and dispersion had left very few. I remem- 
bered, however, that Gen. Gibson v&s still living, 
and km knew that he had been ihe translator of the 
cpeech, I wrote to him immediately. He, in an- 
swer, declares to me, that he was the very per- 
son sent by Lord IXinmore to the Indian townj 
that, after he ha- delivered his raeseage hhere, 
Logan took him out to a neighbouring wood; sat 



'■ ..V' no S9v^c;'t" Bid xibassiH-^ ftxli «i tiioBioltou ii^ii^o.-iT 

: bntB ^J3^s,^ ilVjOfliqa did 
'id ©ffltedit ejilt asci/iOBcf i"i ^^rfcJ- . . 

;>i;-;.v -jiiJ -.ixtur , &B«^&s won ifi* \i->.b J^rii- 
■•^iiilv ■ jj ion e^iw J-I - ■ ' '^'^ • ■■• 

OvJaxfi.-:^ -v;. arrrlsixV HO c;?-< . , 

•-r,t TQ-'i.Rd £ ai fio a^P ■ ^ 

to g^^i:^^d■o£^ ■ ■ 

•io'i idvisxi aw fci-*. xliiofti'i/..' c-oog 3*i no t&^iciftd <ui . 

.aw ,d.i 



doiTD with him, and. rehearsiag, with tears, tho 
oAtastrophe of his family, gave hisi that speech 
for Lord Ainmorej that he carried it to Lord 
Dunmorei translated it for him; h^vS turned to 
it in the Encyclopedia, as taken from the ftotes 
on Virginia, eund finds that it was hi a transla- 
tion I had used, with only t*o or three verbal 
variations of no importance. These, I suppose, 
had arisen in the courae of successive copies. 

4t:(c« »*♦ **♦ *♦* 

As a Marylandor, the exploits of Gapt. Greaap are always of special 
interest, as he and his father were of the nioat picturest^ue characters 
of the State about the Revolutionary period. It *ill be recalled that 
Gapt. Cresap distinguished himself on various occasions and was 
appointed captain to raise and command one of the tso couipiuiies of 
expert rifleaen from fiestem Maryland sent to join General Washington 
at Csonbridg©, Mass., where he arrived in August , 1775, the first 
troops from tiie south. As sharpshocters they picked off English 
officers, fiot being well he was returning home flrom Boston, and in 
Sew Xork he died of fever, April E3 and is buried opposite the north 
transept of Trinity Church. The brown headstone rsads "In memory of 
liSichael Cresap, first Captain of the rifle battalions and son of Colonel 
Thomas Cresap, «hc departed his life October the ISth, 1775." 

His descendants, seme of whom are now residents of Sew Tork City, have 
always claimed that Cipt. tJresap was not responsible for killing the 
family of Chief Logan and one of the Cresaps has published a book in 
refutation of the charge. 

These iikho are interested in the evidence gather€dby Thomas Jefferson, 
while he was President of the United States, will find a me in appendix 
of his "Kotea cn Virginia," he having obtained letters, statements and 
affidavits frorr. various sources from those who had a knowledge of the 
subject. Col. 3rant2. liayer, the Maryland historian, called Capt. Cresap 
an "infamous Indian murderer. " Col. Soharf in his threes volume history 
of ^.laryland (Vol. 1, p. 97) refers to "the celebrated Logan, whose 
pathetic story and more pathetic speech, or rather letter, the work of 
some unknown fabulist have not been able to stand the strain of histor- 
ical criticism." In this we cannot agree for it ie well authenticated 
that Logan sent a message by Gibson to Lord Minmore in the words given. 
Cresap' 3 guilt or ini»ocence is another iiie.tter. 



nod'?ja.. 



(Ho tee) 



Thomas «^efferson received a statemeiit isnd affidavit by General John 
Gibaon, an aasooiate j|udge of i^^llegheny Coiinty, Feiaisylvania, 
formerly an Indian trader, dated Pittsburgh April 4, 1300. Judge 
Gibson's affidavit is, in part, ae followas 

The Deponent further saith that in the year 1774, 
he accompanied Lord Dunmore on the expedition 
i^ainst the Shawnees and other Indians on the 
3iota, that on their arrival within 15 miles of 
the towns, they were mot by a fls^-, md a unite 
Qian of the name of Elliott, who infomed Lord Dun- 
more that trie Ghiefa at the Sha«n©se had sent to 
request his Lordship to halt his yxay and send ia 
some person, who understood their Idn^xsagei that 
this Deponent, at the request of Lord Duanjore and 
the whole of the officers \dth hiia, went inj that 
on his arrival at the tc^ms, Logan, the Indian, 
oame to ».here this deponent was sitting with the 
Gorn-Sta.lk, and the other chiefs of the Sha^moes, 
and asked him to walk out with him} that they 
went into a copse of 2yood, rhere they sat dcvm, 
*rhen Logan after shedding abundance of tears, de- 
livered to him the speech, nearly as related by 
Mr. Jefferson in hia notes on the State of Vir- 
ginia? that he the deponent told him then that 
it was not Col. Cresap vdio had aurderad hia rela- 
tione, and that although his son Captain Michael 
Ore sap was with the party who killed a S^iaarneGe 
chief and other Indians, yet he ^vas not prosent 
when hie relations were killed at Baker* a, near 
the mouth of Yellow Creek on the Ohioj that this 
Deponent on his return to camp delivered the 
speech to Lord Dur^morej £jn.d th it th® leurders per- 
^trated as above were concidered as ultimately 
the cause of the war of 1774, commonly called 
Cre sap's War. 



O, don si^* 



ll 



